Remembering The Lessons Of 9/11

REMEMBERING THE LESSONS OF 9/11

Pastor Chuck Bernal - Sunday, September 11, 2016

 Never forget that we live in a ________________________________________________________________________________ world

 Wherever they look there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. And they will be thrust out into the darkness . . . From head to foot you are sick and weak and faint, covered with bruises and welts and infected wounds . . . Your country lies in ruins; your cities are burned; while you watch, foreigners are destroying and plundering everything they see.  You stand there helpless and abandoned . . . If the Lord Almighty had not stepped in to save us, we would have been wiped out . . . (Isaiah 8:22, 1:6-8 – LB)

 Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. (2 Timothy 3:1-5 – Msg)

 Never forget that God _____________________________________________________________________________ us no matter what!

 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39 – NLT)

 Never forget that we need _________________________________________________________________ when we face tough times

 It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth. And if one falls down, the other helps, But if there’s no one to help, tough! Two in a bed warm each other. Alone, you shiver all night. By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – Msg)

 Never forget that this ______________________________________________________________________________ is not all there is

 For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven. (Hebrews 13:14 – LB)

 But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:20 – Msg)

 So we do not set our sights on the things we can see with our eyes. All of that is fleeting; it will eventually fade away. Instead, we focus on the things we cannot see, which live on and on. (1 Corinthians 4:18 – Voice)

 Never forget that we are left here to make a __________________________________________________________________________

You are the world’s seasoning, to make it tolerable. If you lose your flavor, what will happen to the world? And you yourselves will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the world’s light—a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.  (Matthew 5:13-16 – LB)

 Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you will be blameless and pure, children of God without any fault. But you are living with evil people all around you, who have lost their sense of what is right. Among those people you shine like lights in a dark world, and you offer them the teaching that gives life. (Philippians 2:14-16 – GWT)